Actors with the most Golden Globe nominations of all time
Actors with the most Golden Globe nominations of all time
The 77th Golden Globes will be presented on Jan. 5, and as of the writing of this article, the nominees are not yet known. That means the very contents of this list could have changed by the time these words reach eyeballs. After all, 2019 was a year in which some of the world's most consummate actors added another top-notch performance to their respective resumes. For Al Pacino, that meant tackling the role of notorious union leader Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman." Then there's Tom Hanks and his endearing turn as beloved children's TV host Mr. Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." Last but not least is industry darling Meryl Streep, whose understated performance in the hit HBO drama "Big Little Lies" garnered no shortage of rave reviews.
Of course, whether stars like Streep or Hanks end up with another trophy on their mantels is practically irrelevant by this point. Over the decades, these actors and numerous others have already proven themselves again and again with each new and exciting role. On the small screen, meanwhile, actors such as Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Carol Burnett proved themselves by playing the same role with consistent precision and panache. As such, any list of the most Golden Globe-nominated actors is going to come fully loaded with Hollywood legends of every variety.
So who made the cut? To find out, read the Stacker compilation of nominations and wins for the most decorated actors of all-time at the Golden Globes. Data was taken from the award ceremony's website, and each actor was ranked by the number of nominations. Any ties were broken by the number of wins. As always, every victory was decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which consists of 88 board members.
As one might soon discover, many seasoned actors received an extra boost from Golden Globe awards that were retired decades ago. Specifically, the HFPA no longer hands out the New Star of the Year award or the Henrietta Award for the World's Favorite Actor. Also, stars such as Tom Hanks have received awards for both their acting and producing. Last but not least, Stacker did not count the Cecil B. Demille Award as a win for any of its recipients.
Actors with the most Golden Globe nominations of all time (as of Dec. 17, 2019).
#23. Michael Caine (tie)
- Nominations: 12
- Wins: 3
Michael Caine’s breakout role as an unabashed ladies’ man in “Alfie” landed the actor his first Golden Globe nomination in 1966. His first win came in 1984 for “Educating Rita,” which also earned him a BAFTA award. No stranger to the Oscars, Caine is one of just four actors to receive an Academy Award nomination in five consecutive decades.
#23. Ted Danson (tie)
- Nominations: 12
- Wins: 3
For his role as Sam Malone in the hit sitcom “Cheers,” actor Ted Danson received 11 consecutive Emmy nominations and nine Golden Globe nominations. He ultimately won two Emmys and two Golden Globes just for his work on the show. His remaining Golden Globe nominations and wins come by way of the 1984 TV movie “Something About Amelia” and the shows “Becker” and “Damages.”
#23. Alec Baldwin (tie)
- Nominations: 12
- Wins: 3
Despite his former status as an A-list movie star, nearly all of Alec Baldwin’s Golden Globe nominations or wins come as a result of his work on TV shows or made-for-TV movies. In fact, 2003’s “The Cooler” is the one theatrical film for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. All three of his wins are thanks to “30 Rock,” where he played ambitious network head Jack Donaghy.
#23. Maggie Smith (tie)
- Nominations: 12
- Wins: 3
A veteran of stage and screen alike, Maggie Smith most recently won a Golden Globe for her performance as Violet Crawley on “Downton Abbey.” It has been the last in a long line of awards for Smith, who’s won two Oscars and numerous BAFTA awards throughout her career. Fans of the "Harry Potter" movies might recognize her as Professor Minerva McGonagall.
#22. James Garner
- Nominations: 12
- Wins: 4
Best known for his work on TV shows like "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files," James Garner also played important roles in over 50 theatrical films. He was named New Star of the Year by the HFPA in 1958, earning an award that's since been discontinued. His most recent victory came for the role of F. Ross Johnson in the acclaimed HBO movie "Barbarians at the Gate."
#20. Candice Bergen (tie)
- Nominations: 13
- Wins: 2
Candice Bergen won five Emmys and two Golden Globes for playing the title character on TV’s “Murphy Brown.” A recent reboot didn’t exactly go as planned, but it still earned her another Golden Globe nomination. In addition to her TV accolades, Bergen received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her supporting role in the 1979 film “Starting Over.”
#20. Vanessa Redgrave (tie)
- Nominations: 13
- Wins: 2
Once dubbed "the greatest living actress of our times” by the likes of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, Vanessa Redgrave has left no award behind. In 1978, she won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in “Julia.” Her second Golden Globe came by way of the 2000 HBO drama “If These Walls Could Talk 2.”
#19. Michael J. Fox
- Nominations: 13
- Wins: 4
In 1986, Michael J. Fox received two simultaneous Golden Globe nominations for the respective roles of Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” and Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties.” He would eventually win one Golden Globe for “Family Ties” and then three more for his work on “Spin City.” While battling with Parkinson’s, he earned another Golden Globe nomination for his performance on “The Michael J. Fox Show.”
#18. Dustin Hoffman
- Nominations: 13
- Wins: 5
After breaking through in 1967’s “The Graduate,” Dustin Hoffman was named New Star of the Year by the HFPA. An extraordinary career would follow, which yielded two Academy Awards, four more Golden Globes, and a slew of other major honors. He was also the recipient of the Cecil B. Demille Award at the 54th Golden Globes.
#17. Julie Andrews
- Nominations: 14
- Wins: 7
Julie Andrews was an accomplished stage actress by the time she made her feature film debut in "Mary Poppins," winning both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. She was awarded Best Actress the very next year for her performance as Maria von Trapp in "The Sound of Music." Back when the HFPA was handing out Henrietta Awards to World Favorite Actors and Actresses, Andrews won two.
#16. Nicole Kidman
- Nominations: 15
- Wins: 5
In 2018, Nicole Kidman won two Golden Globes for both starring in and co-executive producing HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” Her previous wins and nominations were for her roles in iconic movies such as “The Hours,” “Moulin Rouge!,” and “To Die For.” Her work in “The Hours” also earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. This year, she’s been nominated for her performance in HBO’s “Big Little Lies.”
#15. Angela Lansbury
- Nominations: 15
- Wins: 6
After a legendary career on stage and in films, Angela Lansbury settled into the role of Jessica Fletcher on TV’s “Murder, She Wrote.” She ended up receiving 10 Golden Globe nominations for that part alone, winning four times. Her other Golden Globe wins came by way of 1962’s “The Manchurian Candidate” and 1945’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
#14. Jane Fonda
- Nominations: 15
- Wins: 7
Former model turned actress and activist Jane Fonda has enjoyed a storied career, with a slew of awards to show for it. She made her big-screen debut in 1961’s “Tall Story” and won the since-retired New Star of the Year award at the Golden Globes. Her respective performances in 1971’s “Klute” and 1978’s “Coming Home” resulted in triumph at the Golden Globes and Oscars alike.
#13. Helen Mirren
- Nominations: 16
- Wins: 3
Helen Mirren not only won two Golden Globes for Best Actress in the very same year, but it was for two very similar parts. One was the role of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen” and the other was the role as Queen Elizabeth I in the two-part miniseries “Elizabeth I.” When the Academy Awards rolled around, it was her performance in “The Queen” that resulted in Oscar gold.
#12. Carol Burnett
- Nominations: 16
- Wins: 5
Instrumental to the development of thought-provoking TV, "The Carol Burnett Show" earned its namesake star five Golden Globe wins out of 10 nominations. The HFPA recently established The Carol Burnett Award in her honor, recognizing "outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen." Its first recipient was Burnett herself.
#11. Alan Alda
- Nominations: 16
- Wins: 6
All six of Alan Alda’s Golden Globes came for his work on the hit TV series “M*A*S*H,” in which he played Army surgeon Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce. He would go on to star in acclaimed movies such as “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and “The Aviator,” as well as hit shows “30 Rock” and “The West Wing.” Earlier in 2019, Alda received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award for his career on stage and screen.
#10. Paul Newman
- Nominations: 16
- Wins: 7
After making his big screen debut in the 1956 film “The Silver Chalice,” Paul Newman was awarded New Star of the Year by the HFPA. That and the similarly retired Henrietta Award account for four out of his seven Golden Globe wins. In 2006, he won two simultaneous Golden Globes for starring in and co-executive producing the miniseries “Empire Falls.”
#9. Tom Hanks
- Nominations: 16
- Wins: 8
An actor that needs no introduction, Tom Hanks is also quite the accomplished producer. His work behind the scenes on limited series such as “Band of Brothers” and the HBO movie “Game Change” has helped round out his Golden Globes portfolio. That’s in addition to his slew of other acting awards, including two consecutive Oscars for “Forrest Gump” and “Philadelphia.”
#8. Kelsey Grammer
- Nominations: 17
- Wins: 3
Barring one win for his performance in the series “Boss,” all of Kelsey Grammer’s Golden Globe awards and nominations were generated by the hit sitcom “Frasier.” Not only was he the show’s lead star, but one of its executive producers as well. Should rumors of a pending reboot become reality, Grammer might rise even higher on the list.
#7. Jessica Lange
- Nominations: 17
- Wins: 5
Jessica Lange's career is almost evenly divided between legendary performances in TV and film. For 1994's "Blue Sky" and 1982's "Tootsie," she took home acting trophies from both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Her recent work on "American Horror Story" and "Feud: Bette And Joan" has racked up a slew of Golden Globe nominations, yielding one win.
#6. Jack Nicholson
- Nominations: 17
- Wins: 6
A breakout performance in 1969’s “Easy Rider” earned living legend Jack Nicholson his first Golden Globe nomination. Soon after, he won back-to-back Golden Globes for his iconic roles in “Chinatown” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Nicholson also has three Oscars to his name, and more Academy Award nominations than any other male actor in history.
#5. Al Pacino
- Nominations: 18
- Wins: 4
Al Pacino received his first Golden Globe nomination for the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather,” only to be defeated by co-star Marlon Brando. Pacino returned the very next year and walked home a winner, thanks to his performance in “Serpico.” The latter half of his career is likewise defined by numerous achievements, including both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his turn in 1992’s “Scent of a Woman.”
#4. Barbra Streisand
- Nominations: 18
- Wins: 8
A virtuosic talent if there ever was one, Barbra Streisand’s numerous awards aren’t solely the result of her acting and singing. She won a Golden Globe for helming 1983’s “Yentl” and remains the only female to be awarded Best Director by the HFPA to this day. She’s also technically part of the exclusive EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) Winner’s Circle, even if her sole Tony Award for Star of the Decade was noncompetitive.
#3. Shirley MacLaine
- Nominations: 19
- Wins: 5
From the moment she debuted in 1955’s “The Trouble with Harry,” Shirley MacLaine was an instant star with the Golden Globe to prove it. Multiple nominations and awards would follow over the subsequent decades, including a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in 1983’s “Terms of Endearment.” Younger brother Warren Beatty is no stranger to awards and accolades either.
#2. Jack Lemmon
- Nominations: 22
- Wins: 4
Jack Lemmon was already an Oscar winner by the time he received his first Golden Globe, for starring in Billy Wilder's seminal 1959 comedy "Some Like It Hot." He reunited with Wilder the very next year, taking home another Golden Globe for "The Apartment." At the age of 74, he won his last trophy for the Showtime movie "Inherit the Wind" before passing away just one year later.
#1. Meryl Streep
- Nominations: 32
- Wins: 8
One of the most celebrated talents to ever grace the screen, Meryl Streep has more Golden Globe nominations and more Oscar nominations than any other actor. She also holds the record for most competitive Golden Globe wins for acting and ties Barbra Streisand when non-competitive honors are brought into the fold. She won her first Golden Globe and first Oscar for her role in 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer,” and has kept that momentum going for an impressive 40 years.
